Earthquakes, Wars and False Christs...

It's been quite an amazing two days.

My son is on spring break with a few of his pals from college - they're staying at my mom's in Orlando. Three of them are from Hawaii, and on Friday morning my mom got a call from her cousin who works with NASA, asking her if the Hawaiians were still at her house and instructing her to wake them up and have them call and warn their families. He found out at 4 a.m. and I heard a report that President Obama was awakened at 4 a.m. with the earthquake news and I was pretty impressed that Cousin Charles is that important!

All this to say, the world is much smaller today than it was a few days ago. When disaster strikes like this, it's all people are talking about and it makes everyone think, what if disaster would happen here? What would I do?

The gal at the grocery store today was pretty down about the whole thing. She teared up when talking about the children who must have been swept away in the tsunamis that followed the earthquakes. She said that she can't figure out why things are getting so crazy in this world...

I know why.

Jesus said it would get crazy. In Matthew 24 Jesus lays out exactly what is going to happen and the word "earthquake" is early in the passage. Wars, rumors of war (what is happening today in Libya...better check), false Christs - I heard today that the Maitreya is preparing for his appearing. The Maitreya is a general name to represent "The World Teacher." He could be Jesus for the Christians and the 12th Imam for the Muslims and Maitreya Buddah for the Buddhists. Talk about false Christs - could things possibly get worse than what we are seeing today? It seems that prophecy is being fulfilled on a daily basis!

I was talking with my husband today and I told him that years ago, when my dad first started teaching eschatology, things were heating up, but nothing like today. Recently, the prewrath world has strayed from sound, foundational, literal interpretation beliefs in order to fit prophecy into current events.

Be careful, friends, don't do that. Yes, there are a lot of things happening that indicate the days are getting closer to Jesus Christ's return, but there are still some very important things that have to take place. You can't pick and choose what you want to take literally and then symbolize the rest. Be consistent and be biblical.

For example, what is the sign Jesus instructs believers to look for in regards to His return? You'll have to go to Daniel to figure that one out, but it has a very literal function that is not existing today. Yet.

Also, where is the United States in end times scripture? My dad never thought that the U.S. would have a large role in the last days events because you don't see a super power from the west involved with the activity that surround the return of Christ. But recently, prewrathers have been changing that theory by symbolizing a lot of things to fit us in. Be careful not to change your hermeneutics so close to the end.

So where are we? Could it be our economy crumbles and we can no longer be the protector of the world? Or could it be a natural disaster would so cripple us that we could not come to help?

I don't have the answers to those questions but I have plenty of scripture that tell me what is going to happen, so I will choose to focus on that.

I've got to close here - I'm already longer than I want to be...last word for today: The world is falling apart - physically, morally, relationally, and spiritually. So is the church. These are both things Jesus said would happen. Don't be surprised. Be in the Word, because there you will find answers, peace and strength to be an overcomer.

(Maybe I need to do another series...)